SNOWSTORM IN AUGUST

5 stars out of 5

Of the myriad of co-authors of books with the prolific James Patterson, Marshall Karp is a favorite of mine (the two co-created and co-write the NYPD Red series, on which, as I understand it, Karp will go solo with the upcoming Book 7). So when I had the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this book - which seems to be the first in a series - I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was not disappointed; in fact, it's one of the best books of this kind I've read in a while.

More specifically, it's got a unique, intriguing story that launches with a white-out in Central Park. Snow? Not in August. Try cocaine. It lands on unsuspecting people and animals, killing them almost instantly. Say what? Beyond that, it's got a unique, intriguing main character in former NYPD captain Danny Corcoran, who heads up a special clandestine team of specialists formed by the police commissioner.

Danny lost his wife to an accident years earlier, but he's still close to her sister and their father, a soon-to-retire judge. His last day on the bench turns into a nightmare, triggering a war between powerful drug lord Joaquin Alboroto and the city of New York. When an unexpected disaster results in the police commissioner and his special team getting decommissioned, so to speak, Danny is asked to join a team of retired officers - if possible, an even more clandestine bunch funded by a handful of billionaires. Their primary mission? Thwarting Alboroto's plans to bring the city and a list of targets to their knees with no regard for human collateral damage.

But finding Alboroto and learning what deadly tricks he's got up his sleeves isn't going to be a walk in Central Park even after it's been deemed safe once again. It's not likely he's working in a vacuum, either - but there are plenty of bad guys and gals out there, some known and some not, so ferreting out who's allied with whom is a challenge in and of itself (not to mention exceedingly dangerous). The rest of the book is packed with action - some crossing over into "you've got to be kidding me" territory but edge-of-seat exciting nonetheless.

The bottom line? If you've got room in your summer vacation bag for just one more killer/thriller, consider this one. It's a winner in my book!

Snowstorm in August by Marshall Karp (Blackstone Publishing, June 2022); 348 pp.

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING

5 stars out of 5


Truthfully, I figured this would be a so-so book - cobbled together simply because two very well-known names would be a sure thing sales-wise. Well, folks, I figured wrong; I absolutely loved it!

Make no mistake, though - there's plenty of political "stuff" in here. I've read that when Patterson writes with a co-author, they send chapters back and forth for additions, corrections, etc. In this case, it's fairly easy to spot the Clinton influence. In fact, for those who don't share his political bent, I'd strongly suggest skipping the final chapter entirely (President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan's address to a joint session of Congress). I happen to agree 1000% with what he says, but even so, it's a bit heavy on the rhetoric. In contrast, though, are insights as to the inner workings of government at the highest levels and even a few bits of humor, such as when the aforementioned President muses, "God, I sound like an ass. Worse yet, I sound like a lawyer."

Political leanings notwithstanding, it's the story that kept me on the edge of my seat - first and foremost because it tackles an issue that concerns a ton of other folks: Our country's nearly total dependence on the Internet. Remember the y2k scare back in 2000? Well, multiply that by a hundredfold. President Duncan is right in the middle of the situation, having been sent a dire warning about what's to come via his daughter in Paris (his wife died of cancer a year or so earlier and he's personally dealing with a serious blood disorder, adding a bit more tension as the story progresses). 

The warning comes as the President is facing a House Committee hearing that his enemies hope will end in impeachment (hmmm, that, too, has a familiar ring to it). The hearing comes because he's accused of preventing the almost certain capture or killing of an international terrorist named Suliman Cindoruk (think Osama bin Laden).  Duncan is acutely aware of what really happened, but for national security reasons, he cannot reveal the truth. And as he learns more about the imminent cyberattack that would effectively shut down the entire country for years to come, he discovers that there's a traitor in the worst possible place - his own cabinet.

Can the President and his carefully selected team find the solution and save the world for democracy? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out. Highly recommended!

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton (Little, Brown and Co., June 2018); 528 pp.

THE BLACK WIDOW

5 stars out of 5

It's hard to believe this is the 16th book in the series featuring Gabriel Allon, perhaps my all-time favorite "hero." He's a sought-after restorer of priceless paintings, a spy, soon-to-be chief of Israel's secret intelligence service (albeit reluctantly) and, with his beautiful wife Chiara, the recent father of twins Raphael and Irene. So much do I love the books that I didn't even break a sweat at the thought of 544 pages - much longer than most books I read these days - and once I started, I admit to getting testy when something or someone interrupted my progress. By the end of the first few chapters, I knew this would be a 5-star-plus read for me.

That doesn't mean, however, that a few things weren't a bit bothersome - the first of which is that the emphasis is far more on politics and history than on the characters. Chiara barely plays a role, and even Gabriel doesn't seem to be at the forefront as much as in previous books. There is almost tedious detail about the relationships (pro and con) among various countries like Israel, France and Syria, and the author makes it abundantly clear what side of the political fence he's on. That's not all bad, mind you; even though I've crabbed about other authors' crossing the line of putting their personal political agendas ahead of the story - and this one comes close to doing just that - Silva manages to write around it all in such an interesting, totally engaging way that in the end it didn't matter a whit to me (the historical parts, in fact, I thoroughly enjoyed).

As the book begins, Gabriel hasn't yet assumed the mantle of intelligence chief; in fact, he's officially dead (not really, of course, but for all intents and purposes beyond the Israeli agency, he was killed off a while back). Just as he's about to be resurrected to take on his new responsibilities, ISIS sets off a bomb in Paris. With so many dead and wounded and the entire country in shock, the French government seeks help from Gabriel and his agency in finding out who was behind the dirty deed.

It's an offer Gabriel can't refuse, and he sets off on what could be his final mission before "retiring" behind a desk (assuming he survives, of course). Early on, he recruits and trains a multi-national Jewish female doctor named Natalie who will infiltrate the ranks of ISIS in the hope of getting close enough to the caliphate to learn what the next target(s) will be. In fact, the book is more her story than Gabriel's; she is to be transformed into a Muslim "Black Widow," - a woman who lost a husband at the hands of non-Muslim terrorism and wants nothing more than revenge (and the glory that will come when she dies as a martyr).

The story follows all that happens to her as well as the interaction among the government agencies that are involved. In between are chases that lead to blind alleys, shady characters doing their thing and horrific strikes, and threats of even more strikes, by ISIS terrorists. Can Gabriel and his team (with the help of the good doctor) bring whoever is running the ISIS show to his knees in time to prevent an even more horrendous disaster? I know the answer, and if you read this terrific book, so will you.

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva (Harper, July 2016); 544 pp.